


in the arms of a brother

by emrys (livingshitpost)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Big Brothers, Bittersweet Ending, Brother Feels, Brotherhood, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Angst, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Canonical Character Death, Clone Troopers (Star Wars) Need Hugs, Clone Troopers Deserve Better (Star Wars), Clone Troopers Speak Mando'a (Star Wars), Clone Troopers as Brothers (Star Wars), Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Needs A Hug, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Little Brothers, Mandalorian Culture (Star Wars), Mando'a Language (Star Wars), Nightmares, Past Character Death, Platonic Cuddling, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sad, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:54:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28557936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livingshitpost/pseuds/emrys
Summary: It isn't an ordinary nightmare that wakes Echo.Three years have passed since the First Battle of Kamino to the day."He was always a fucking hero," Crosshair snaps.Clone Force 99 mourns.
Relationships: 99 & Clone Force 99 | Bad Batch, 99 (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) & CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, Clone Force 99 | Bad Batch & CT-21-0408 | Echo
Comments: 5
Kudos: 60





	in the arms of a brother

It isn't an ordinary nightmare that wakes him.

He doesn't get nightmares like he used to; the ones that always faded before he fully woke, leaving him shaking and fearful of something he didn't remember. Those have become few and far between in the wake of Skako Minor. Now his dreams are rife with explosions and needles, cutting away flesh, electric, white-hot pain, and suffocating cold. But this nightmare is different. This one is quiet. Terrifying for a unique reason.

Unseeing brown eyes stare up at him from a tired face. A mouth hangs partially open, half-smiling. A slack hand sits in his grip. Words drift in one ear and out the other, deafening him to all else. _This is what I was bred for. I'm a soldier. Like you. This is what I was bred for. Like you. Like you. I'm a soldier. This is what I was bred for. I'm a soldier. Like you._

_I'm a soldier. Like you._

_This is what I was bred for._

_Like you._

He wakes in a shaking bundle beneath his weighted blanket. He's alone, as usual; the rest of the squad are in their own rooms for the night. He focuses his gaze on one of the rivets in the wall, slowing his breathing and running his thumb along the fabric of the blanket. It's soft and smooth and helps him relax. He checks the clock once he's calmed himself down. Half past three. A soft sigh escapes him and he sits up, reaching for his cybernetic hand and clicking it into place before doing the same with his legs. He puts on a pair of socks so his footsteps don't clang against the metal floor.

The hallway is quiet. He slips out of his room, intending to head for the on-board kitchenette, but pauses when he hears soft voices from the rec room. The door is closed, so he can't make out the words, but his curiosity gets the better of him.

"Everything alright?" He asks quietly.

"Yeah. We're fine." Hunter forces a small smile, but it quickly falls away. "We didn't wake you, did we?"

"No." Echo makes no move to sit with the others. "Should I go?"

Hunter glances around. The general consensus is a noncommittal shrug. "You don't have to, if you don't want."

"He was there that day," Tech mutters. Then he glances up. His eyes are dry, but there are faint lines on his cheeks from tears. "Read it in your file."

"What day?"

"When-" Wrecker clears his throat. Bites his lip. Wipes his eyes. Looks down at his hands on the dejarik table.

"The Battle of Kamino," Tech supplies. "The first one, anyway."

"Oh." Echo adjusts his arm. The hand that felt the final beats of his older brother's heart is gone. "Yeah. I was there."

There's a brief pause. 

"Our fifth died that day," Hunter explains. "Alpha-99. Shek'eta-she'cu. Back in the good old days, we called him Kar'ta. It means Heart."

"I know what it means." It comes out crueler than he means it. It _feels_ cruel. Like a sick joke.

"He always knew how to get to it." Tech almost laughs. "Either with his tooka-kit eyes or a scalpel and a bonesaw."

"And he wore his on his sleeve," Crosshair adds. There's a tight smile on his face. "Di'kut."

Three years have passed since then to the day. None of them say it; they all know damn well.

Stars, it feels like an eternity. 

Echo breaks the silence.

"I was there." He swallows. "Not just on Kamino. I was there in the barracks. I saw what happened."

Wrecker stiffens. He puts his head in his hands.

"He died a hero," Echo whispers. "A true soldier. That's what Commander Cody called him."

"Of course he did," Crosshair snaps. "He was always a fucking hero."

"I know," Echo says. He lifts his arms slightly, and he can almost feel the weight of his older brother against him. Almost hear his last rasping breaths. Almost see the ghost of a smile on his face. "I- I was holding him in my arms when he-"

His voice breaks. There's a hand on his shoulder, guiding him down to the couch, and he's pulled against Hunter's shoulder. Echo clings to the older clone like a child. He doesn't sob, but his eyes leave wet spots on Hunter's shirt. Slowly, the others gather around and join the embrace as best they can.

"Do you-?" Echo sniffs, wiping his eyes on the heel of his own hand. "Do any of you know the Aay'han?"

"Yeah." Hunter nods. "Do they not teach you shinies that anymore?"

"'M hardly a shiny these days." He almost laughs in spite of himself.

"You'll always be a shiny to us," Wrecker teases.

"Do you want us to teach it to you?" Tech asks quietly.

Echo nods. "That'd be nice."


End file.
